Iffat Idris, GSDRC, University of Birmingham Pakistan has been in the international news twice so far this year. First, in spring 2025, for renewed conflict with India following a terrorist attack in Indian Administered Kashmir, IAK. Second, from late June to September, for devastating floods across the country. While, on initial reading, these events appear unconnected ...» more
News & commentary
News, analysis, and commentary by GSDRC researchers and other experts.
Varieties of state capture
Zenobia Ismail Abstract: The literature on state capture is growing and encompasses more countries and contexts. This paper argues that it is time to consider varieties of capture that have different trajectories and outcomes. Two factors, the level of democracy and the strength of institutions, are proposed as starting points for thinking about varieties of capture. Using ...» more
Estonia’s just transition towards climate neutrality
Mikail Akhtar, University of Birmingham The Just Transition Mechanism is an initiative launched by the EU to help its member states transition to a climate-neutral economy, specifically targeting the most carbon-affected regions within the EU. Each region will have objectives depending on their needs, which are aimed to be met by 2030 and implemented via dedicated ...» more
Affirmative action around the world Insights from a new dataset (update)
Rachel M. Gisselquist, Min J. Kim, Simone Schotte, and Chinmayi Srikanth Abstract: Affirmative action (or ‘positive action’) measures have been adopted in dozens of countries around the world as a means of addressing group-based inequalities in educational enrolment, employment, political representation, and other areas. Although there is a large research literature on ...» more
Women and Girls in Conflict and Displacement in Muslim Settings
Policy Briefing - August 2025 This report sheds light on the urgent and often overlooked realities faced by displaced women and girls across Muslim-majority regions, including the Middle East, the Horn of Africa, and the Sahel. As global displacement reaches record levels—over 120 million in 2025—women and girls are disproportionately affected by a complex and compounding ...» more
Partnership, participation and political action
William Avis, Francis Pope, and Lejla Ademi* In May 2025, researchers from the University of Birmingham and the South East European University (SEEU) organised an exhibition in Tetovo, North Macedonia, of experimental photography that visualises the amount of hazardous fine particulate matter (PM2.5) present in the air. The aim of this exhibition was to render ...» more
Financing the Africa we want? Reflections from the 2025 Ibrahim Governance Weekend
Arol Dut* The Ibrahim Governance Weekend (IGW) is an annual event organized by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, with this year’s event held in Marrakech. Under the theme ‘Financing The Africa We Want’, the participants included Now Generation Network members, civil society representatives, current and former African leaders, university professors, among others, who are ...» more
Is state capture coming to the United States? Americans can learn to recognise it from the experiences of other countries
Zenobia Ismail* Corruption involving the state, such as neopatrimonialism, clientelism and crony capitalism, are generally perceived to occur mainly in emerging democracies in the Global South or Eastern Europe. The so-called mature democracies tend to be seen as largely immune from extensive corruption. However, the unprecedented influence of business elites like Elon ...» more
